Without surgery for spinal stenosis what is the prognosis?

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If you have had it for 12 years and are afraid to have surgery what might happen?
I have it as well. I chose not to have surgery when I first was injured, bringing on the spinal stenosis. You'll either get stiff with less flexibility in your back, more pain or pain running down your leg. Have you looked into the arthroscopic back surgeries where you go home the next morning and just go to physical therapy? They don't mess with the spinal cord, but they can clean up the stenosis for you.  (+ info)

depression an spinal stenosis with pain all the time ,from my arms lower back,an both legs .an my hips hurts

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i have spinal stenosis,an depression.real bad ,living in pain all the time . all day long ,i take meds for them but its ,still hard everyday unable to do a lot of things iused to do. dont fell much like a man unable to hold down a job because of it .
I have the same thing. My doctor put me on Lyrica for the pain. It's amazing to have the severe pain almost disappear.  (+ info)

How do you relieve the pain of spinal stenosis in an 80 year old? Painkiller doesn't really help her. Any?

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suggestions please.
I am aware of surgery, but knowing her, she would never go for any type of surgery.
First of all, my sympathies. My father (86) suffers from this cruel disease, which so destroys people's quality of life. What we've learned over the last few years is that most patients are shockingly under-medicated, though they need not be. The problem is that the most effective medications are narcotics, the very mention of which sends many Americans into a frenzy of condemnation. (Though the "war on drugs" has not succeeded one whit in getting illegal drugs off the street, its propaganda is accepted by most of us without question, even when blatantly fabricated.) Under governmental pressure to keep the lid on narcotics, doctors hesitate to give pain patients what they desperately need, which is escalating doses of opiates (e.g. morphine) or opioids (e.g. methadone). Every once in a while, a courageous physician will say, "To hell with DEA scare-mongering, I will treat my patients as dictated by my medical judgment, not by politics." What you need to do is find one of them. Ask around, and listen for the ideas I've just mentioned; there will be a doctor for your 80-year-old.

As a secondary aid, epidural steroids can also be helpful. My father, unfortunately, only gets a day or two's relief, but what a day! And if your loved one can manage some physical therapy, that will help a titch. (But narcotics are usually required, in order to move at all.) Finally, my father has benefited quite a bit from daily meditation. He practices "breath-counting" 20-30 minutes a day, depending on the noise level in the household.

Best of luck to both of you!

p.s. Surgery has not helped him at all, so your 80 yo need not consider that route. Ignore all the flashy ads for "new" microsurgical techniques; so far, there's no miracle available. The more conventional types vary a great deal in their efficacy--and in their suitability for older patients.

p.p.s. Please ignore statements not supported by reputable research, regardless how well-intentioned or charmingly phrased. Just about anything will kill you if consumed in excess, including water. Much as we'd all prefer a cure, a judiciously managed regimen of pain medication is the best hope for many older stenosis patients, and to scare or shame them out of that relief is unfair.  (+ info)

I have Spinal Stenosis and would like to build my back muscles before surgery, what can I do that won't hurt?

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I also have Scoliosis and rods from a prior surgery.
You can carefully and slowly perform what is called "core strengthening exercises".

Because these don't require weights (or very low weights), wide range motioning, or fast movements, you should be able to perform most of these without too much issues.

1. Crunches - building up the abdominal muscles will help to support to spinal column and take some pressure off those back muscles.

2. The swimmer - lay down flat with your stomach facing the ground. Extend your arms and legs out fully. Then raise one arm and leg as a full unit slowly and bring it back down and alternate with the other arm and leg. Do this slowly and repeatedly as if you were swimming.

3. The flutter kick - Lay down with your back facing the ground. put your hands underneath your buttocks and raise extend you legs straight out. Then, lift them 6 inches off the ground keeping them extended. In a method similiar to the swimmer, begin lifting each leg upward about 12 inches and back down to 6 inches above the ground, alternating legs. It should look as if you were in the pool doing the flutter kick.

NOTE: you can do both of these exercises in the pool. Actually this well help build up more resistance.

4. the pelvic thurst. Lay down on your back, keeping your knees bent. Now thurst and hold the pelvic muscle (you might need to look at a diagram for this one, hard to explain). Its essentially the same muscle you use for holding your urine in.

5. the rower - if you have access to a gym, you can do this. use the rower machine but set it to a low weight and do about 25 to 30 reps...low weight so that you dont hurt yourself, but the reps will make up the difference.

There are many many more. look up core stregnthening exercises online. atleast this will give you a start :0)  (+ info)

Can being in a car accident cause spinal stenosis?

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I was hit from behind and was jerked into the steering wheel and back into my seat.
Simple answer is NO!
How spinal stenosis develops
Doctors categorize stenosis as either primary or acquired:

■Primary spinal stenosis, which is relatively uncommon, is present at birth.
■Acquired spinal stenosis, which is the type that most people have, develops later in life. It's usually a result of degenerative changes in the spine that occur with aging.
Unless you went 'Back to the Future?'  (+ info)

Can anyone tell me if spinal stenosis is grounds for disability?

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What are the rules for disability approval?
Spinal stenosis is related to degeneration in the spine and usually will become significant in the 5th decade of life and extend throughout every subsequent age group. Most patients first visit their doctor with symptoms of spinal stenosis at about age 60 or so. Patients need only seek treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis if they no longer wish to live with significant activity limitations, such as leg pain and/or difficulty with walking.

I assume you are over the age of 50 and have received all the treatment available. If so then you have no other alternative than disability. Good Luck  (+ info)

Does anyone have any good exercises to relieve pain from lumbar spinal stenosis?

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Anything that strengthens the core. If you are not at a healthy weight, do what you can to lose some weight. Also, try actipatch to relieve your pain. I use it for both back and knee pain and it works great.  (+ info)

I have spinal stenosis would it be good to wear a back brace to work? Iam an nurse aide?

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would this hurt me more.? Iam still hurting but trying to keep my job. Waiting for your reply.
bet you won't wear it for very long. why don't you apply for disability, go to HR and ask for short term disability, but have MD records/xrays etc to back your complaint. Unless you're going to get well and recover, or get worse, should consider another line of work if you have to work. CNA's work very hard, always on their feet, constantly tired, lots of bending/twisting, lifting. I know, I used to do it for a year, then became a nurse, but now medically retired due to another illness.  (+ info)

frozen shoulder & spinal stenosis and overweight. Any exercises I can do to lose weight?

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My partner has a frozen left shoulder, Spinal stenosis which confines her to a chair most of the time and is too overweight to have an operation on her spine. Oh, by the way, she is diabetic (type 1) and needs two knee replacements and is mildly copd as well.
All the doctors say is she needs to lose weight and to come back when she has.
Do any of you good and great people out there know of any exercises she can do, from her chair, to lose weight?
Thank you all in advance.
Brian M
With the condition of your partner I would recommend basic muscle contractions. She just has to contract and release the muscles several times. She will not be moving very much but it still works the muscles and will help with the weight loss. I know this sounds a little funny, but sit and tighten and relax your upper leg muscles several times and you will feel like you have been on a walk. Exercising will also help with her blood sugar levels. The most important thing is that she keeps doing it.  (+ info)

Can cauda equina syndrome with spinal stenosis cause complete paralyzation?

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It does seem that this is possible but not inevitable. Have a look at:
http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/cauda.asp  (+ info)

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